


slip slide

by matcha_milkyway



Category: Free!
Genre: :), M/M, Ridiculously Cheesy, fluffy fluff, haruka floats, he also paints, rin smells like heaven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 19:15:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7476477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matcha_milkyway/pseuds/matcha_milkyway
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They meet on a bus. A first time, a second, then after that it all seems like fate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	slip slide

Haruka's first love was a waterfall.

His second?

Matsuoka Rin.

_______

7:43 AM, Tuesday morning. 

Haruka got on the bus, nodded at the driver and settled in a seat by a window. Ticked three things off the mental checklist: 'wake up', 'get on the bus', 'head to work'. Number four and number five were 'work hard' and 'go home' respectively. 

He was good at this, tolerating the mind-numbing monotony of everyday life.  
Sometimes he'd switch it up - listen to Tame Impala on the bus, pet a stray by the side of the road, pack something other than mackerel for lunch - but most days he couldn't be bothered and kept it the same.

He took a moment to assess his mood and decided today was a "no".

The blue-eyed boy heaved a quiet sigh and hugged his backpack close. Looking out the window, he watched impassively as trees passed in blurs of green and gold, jolting with the bus as it shuddered to a stop and its doors opened with a hiss.

Five more stops to go.

The people streamed in silently, save for the occasional squeak of a sneaker or clack of a heel. Maybe a rustle of plastic, or the snap of a hair elastic, the hush of someone murmuring into a phone. Someone stopped beside him and plopped down with a shuffle of fabric.

Haruka caught a whiff of something floral and sweet.

Brown sugar and cherry blossom, white tea and honeysuckle. He chanced a glance - someone roughly his age, long-limbed and lean, curled around his backpack like Haruka was. Fiery red hair scraped back into a teensy mess of a ponytail tickling the nape of his creamy neck, eyes the shade of wine, wire-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. His wrists were heavy with a tangle of beads and braided leather, and the cashmere knit of his sweater brushed softly against Haruka's arm when the stranger shifted in his seat.

"Oh, sorry," the redhead turned to apologize, when Haruka recoiled from the touch like he was on fire.

Haruka shook his head and resolutely fixed his gaze out the window.

_______

7:46 AM, Thursday morning.

Haruka watched the same redhead running for the bus, just as its doors whispered shut and the engine revved to go, and was simultaneously vexed and pleased to see him hop onboard with chest heaving and bowing to the driver in thanks.

His eyes lit up with recognition when he spotted Haruka, and he flumped down beside him in an intoxicating cloud of cherry and vanilla. As he got himself comfortable, he gifted Haruka with a small smile, and that combined with his muted panting and the rosy flush of his cheeks did things to Haruka he refused to acknowledge.

_Why._

Haruka cleared his throat. Put his playlist on shuffle. Launched a game, swiped it shut. Tapped an age-old chat open, fiddled some more with his phone, gave up and tugged an earbud out. 

"...You've got...something on your cheek, there," he gestured, and instantly wished he'd never opened his mouth to speak.

His seat partner whirled to face him, eyes wide and cheeks bright.

"Oh, um, oh, okay." Haruka's heart did a befuddling dance in his chest as the redhead reached up to rub at the side of his face, endearingly awkward and jerky in his movement, missing the spot by more than a few centimetres.

He peered up at Haruka through his lashes with a question in his eyes.

"To the right, a little higher."

He missed, again. Haruka stared hard at the curl of canary decorating the apple of the man's cheek, and met the glazed-strawberry gaze of the heart-achingly pretty stranger.

He swore he heard something give way.

"Let me," he murmured. 

He lifted the stranger's glasses with the gentle bump of a knuckle, and scratched lightly at the stroke of paint. When their fingers grazed briefly it was something electric, and the heat of the skin under Haruka's fingertips sent his pulse racing a mile a minute.

_______

7:44 AM, Friday morning.

The redhead juggled a folded easel, a covered canvas and a duffle bag in the space between his arms, only barely managing to unearth his bus card and to lug the pile to the seat beside Haruka.

After a bit of scuffling and manoeuvering, everything fit nicely and he turned to grin at Haruka. "Goddamn, that was rough."

"Looks like it," the blue-eyed boy deadpanned.

A heartbeat of silence.

The redhead fidgeted. "So, um, what do I call you?"

Haruka blinked.

"I-I mean, uh, what's your name," the redhead continued, hand coming to rest on the back of his neck. He was red all the way to his ears. What he wouldn't give to dig a hole in the ground and live there forever. 

"Nanase Haruka. Haru is fine."

The discomfort washed away and a relieved smile took its place. "I'm Rin," he said, sticking a hand out. Haruka shook.

Later, he brought his palm to his nose and sniffed. There it was, subtle and lingering, the scent of maple syrup. It made Haruka think of pancakes, and now Rin. 

_______

2:39 PM, Friday afternoon.

"Say, hasn't Haru-chan been especially spacey today?" Nagisa hollered, launching himself at Rei's back and wrapping his legs around his torso like a koala clinging to a tree.

Rei spluttered. "Don't do that, Nagisa-kun, what if we fall? Falling isn't beautiful."

Haruka floated and thought of red hair and flushed skin until his student poked him in the side and asked why they weren't training.

_______

6:01 PM, Sunday evening.

Haruka was conflicted. He had meant to get mackerel, but the salmon and eel were on a special sale. He stood in the seafood section, hand white-knuckled around the handle of his empty basket.

Eventually, in a rare display of impulse, he picked all three. Paid without batting an eyelash even as he mourned his wallet - strength, strength - then glided outside on a seafood high.

He caught a flash of carmine in his peripheral vision and paused, mid-stride, turning his head.

Who else but _him_ , of course. Rin, in a rumpled dress shirt tucked into skinnies, wrists laden the same jumble of beads and braids, glasses pushed up into his hair and hand wrapped around an ice-cream cone. As if he felt the weight of Haruka's gaze, he glanced upward with tongue out in a lazy lap, and immediately blushed an impressive shade of red. 

"Um, hello," the redhead greeted.

Haruka nodded and continued on his way, that is, til he realized they were going in the same direction. He slowed down and waited for Rin to fall into stride beside him.

"So, um, you live around here?"

Haruka nodded again.

"My, ah, gallery is nearby," Rin offered. "If you'd like to, you can come around and take a look."

"Do you put your work on show, too?" Haruka tilted his head in query, moving the grocery bags from one hand to another.

"Yep." He popped the 'p'. Then, rummaging around in his pocket with his free hand and a pensive look on his face, he pulled out a rectangular cut of card stock and held it out to Haruka.

"Bring your friends, too," he grinned.

Haruka was too busy tracing the ridge of Rin's collarbones with his eyes and resisting the urge to press his mouth to the pout of Rin's bottom lip, dark with chocolate syrup, to formulate a proper response.

_______

10:33 AM, Monday morning.

Rin turned the key in the lock and stepped into the studio. Sousuke sat hunched over his working table, humming Coldplay and carving an orca out of wax. At the sound of Rin's shoes scuffing on the marble tile, he called a greeting.

"Hey," Rin replied. 

Rin padded to his canvas in the corner of the room and plopped down on a stool, stretching languidly. He'd chosen this particular corner because of the sunlight that streamed in through the huge glass window; light and bright in the mornings, rich and buttery in the afternoons, delicate, precious gold in the evenings. It caressed everything in an ethereal glow as it did today, shedding light on the finished piece in a way that had Rin's breath catching in his throat.

Sousuke ambled over.

"...You're like a protagonist in a _shoujo_ manga," he remarked, smirking.

Rin flushed bright red. "What?"

"Head over heels and pining." He wiggled his eyebrows pointedly at the canvases leaning against the walls.

"H-how the hell would you know?"

Sousuke sighed, theatre-style. "How long have we been friends?"

_______

8:15 PM, Friday night.

Nagisa whistled lowly when Haruka trudged down the staircase, ready for battle in a dark blue dress shirt, well-fitted pants that "made his butt look good" (courtesy of our one and only shota) and neat dress shoes. He'd screwed around with his hair a bit, slicking it back and parting it to the side, before giving up and washing all the product out.

For some reason, his heart was fluttering madly.

Makoto patted Haruka's back with a knowing, empathetic smile. "Shall we go?"

_______

8:32 PM, Friday night.

Rin's gallery was modern and sophisticated, pristine walls a perfect backdrop for the artwork on display. Rows and rows of framed paintings, done in gouache, watercolour, charcoal and oil, installations and glass cases of ceramics and other mixed media.

"It's dreamy," Makoto whispered.

The crowd milled about, dressed smartly, studying pieces and exchanging hushed conversation. Standing in the middle of the space and speaking softly to a couple, Rin caught Haruka's eye and began to wave, face lighting up. He excused himself and rushed over.

"Haru! So glad you could make it," he beamed. 

"Yeah."

Rin's dimple remained when he turned to the trio clustered behind Haruka.

"Hi, I'm Matsuoka Rin," he bowed.

A hulking brunette with sleepy green eyes smiled warmly and introduced himself as Tachibana Makoto; a loud and peppy slip of a blonde, all pinks and yellows and bouncing on his heels, announced that he was Hazuki Nagisa; and the last individual, bespectacled and blue-haired, nudged his glasses up with an index finger and huffed a curt 'Ryugazaki Rei' before launching into a passionate speech about colour theory.

Nagisa rammed an elbow into Rei's ribcage.  
Rin saw him double over and gasp for air, and freaked out a little bit.

"Ah, holy shit, is he alright?"

"It must be done," Nagisa delivered, solemnly. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Rinrin, but I think we'll be off now! _Rei-chan can teach me all about colour theory._ " With that, the blonde hooked an arm around his victim's shoulders and skipped away.

Makoto cast a glance towards Rin and Haruka.

"Oh, um, I think I'll go look at that, then," he stuttered, indicating Sousuke's orca, then leaving.

Rin was kind of hurt. "Do your friends not like me, or something?" he frowned. "I wanted to show you guys around."

Haruka sighed. "It'd be more accurate to say they like you too much."

Rin just looked confused.

_______

9:15 PM, Friday night.

"Right, so, the artist meant for it to be an embodiment of meaninglessness," Rin shared animatedly. "Which is a crazy, stupid paradox."

Haruka hummed and appraised a detailed carving of a horse.

The pair turned the corner, and Rin quieted.

"There's...my stuff." He looked embarrassed, flushing and shifting, as they strode towards several canvases and frames tacked to three adjacent walls. "Blue", the exhibition read.

Haruka zoned out and zoomed in on each piece.

The first of the series was Rin's rendition of an ocean, a glittering sea of teals and blues tipped with snow-white froth, daubed onto the canvas with a masterful stroke. Next to that gleamed a hyper-realistic sapphire done in acrylic, shining and capturing the light so strikingly that Haruka swore he could reach in and pull it out. He passed by a framed piece, a stylistic interpretation of an umbrella lying upturned in a puddle of water, and noted another two painstakingly detailed in pastel - a melting soda pop, an empty swimming pool. Finally, right smack in the middle of the last wall, there hung a portrait of himself, wreathed in the buttery glow of sunlight and looking out a window.

Haruka whirled around to face Rin, wide-eyed.

"I, um, I realize this might be more than a bit creepy, and I'm sorry I didn't ask for permission, but..." Rin trailed off, looking for all the world like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, waiting to be scolded.

Haruka softened.

"It's nice," he said, reaching for Rin's hands and lacing their fingers together.

Rin gawked for a few seconds, first at Haruka, then at their joined hands, then he smiled so wide his heart felt it was fit to burst.

_______

10:56 PM, Friday night.

Haruka and Rin met up with the others at the exit, and said their goodbyes.

Reading the air, Makoto gave a final wave to the pair, then ushered Nagisa and Rei out the door.

Which left the both of them, looking anywhere but at each other.

"I, ah, um," Rin muttered, at the same time Haruka uttered a quiet "so," and a heavy silence settled.

Haruka took a deep breath. Caught the scent of cherry blossom, and started. "Number," he murmured, not quite looking Rin in the eye, "could I get yours?"

Rin gave a short bark of laughter.

"I wanted to ask for yours, too," he giggled, corner of his mouth pushed up in mirth.

They exchanged numbers, and Haruka pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Rin's cheek, stroking the delicious velvet of Rin's nape with a careful finger. It'd been driving him crazy the whole night, the sliver of skin showing between the base of Rin's head and the start of his turtleneck, and Haruka relished the shudder that rolled through Rin's form. 

"See you soon," Rin murmured, flushed adorably pink.

"Yeah."

This time, it was Rin that leaned in for a swift kiss to Haruka's cheek.

_______

1:43 AM, Saturday morning.

Haruka cradled the phone in his hand, contemplating the ceiling. "Rin."

"Yeah?

"Wanna go for a swim?"

**Author's Note:**

> i love these two (cry)  
> thank you vvv much for reading!! i hope you liked it :)) any sort of feedback is welcomed!!


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